Tale Of Ekati wears down War Pass in Wood

Charles E. Fipke's homebred TALE OF EKATI (Tale of the Cat) and champion War Pass (Cherokee Run) were both hoping to restore the luster to their tarnished reputations in Saturday's $750,000 Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct. It took nearly all of the 1 1/8 miles to decide which one would accomplish his objective, but in the final yards, Tale of Ekati grimly reeled in a tiring War Pass by a half-length to reassert himself as a Kentucky Derby (G1) contender. Named for Fipke's rich diamond mine in the Northwest Territory in Canada, Tale of Ekati will now seek jewels -- of the classic kind -- in the Triple Crown.

"Winning this race is like finding that first diamond, that kind of excitement," Fipke beamed. "I'm still in a daze. This is wonderful."

War Pass blazed straight to the early lead, but he was quickly beset by Inner Light (Songandaprayer), whose role was to ensure a taxing pace for his late-running entrymate, Court Vision (Gulch). Under unrelenting pressure from his pace rival, War Pass reeled off fractions of :22 2/5 and :46 on the drying-out track, which had been upgraded to fast. Tale of Ekati settled in third beneath Edgar Prado, just to the outside of fellow stalkers Giant Moon (Giant's Causeway) and Texas Wildcatter (Monarchos).

As Inner Light threw in the towel nearing the far turn, War Pass opened up, getting six furlongs in 1:11 2/5, but Tale of Ekati began his steady advance. Although War Pass maintained a clear lead in the stretch, the 4-5 favorite was feeling the effects of his early pace battle, and the farther he went, the more vulnerable he looked. Prado steered Tale of Ekati to the inside of the flagging War Pass for the drive, and gradually, the Barclay Tagg pupil reduced the deficit. Approaching the wire, Tale of Ekati finally gained enough momentum to overhaul War Pass in a final time of 1:52 1/5.

"I thought War Pass was the horse to beat," Tagg said. "It was nice to see Inner Light go after War Pass. We were laying a little closer than I wanted him to be, but Edgar has an intuitiveness that has served him pretty well for the last 30 years."

"I had a beautiful trip and I knew War Pass was going very fast," Prado said. "I was very proud of (Tale of Ekati). He kept on trying all the way."

War Pass crossed the wire 1 1/4 lengths clear of Court Vision, who rallied belatedly from near the back of the pack for third. Both remain under consideration for the Run for the Roses.

"I'm still glad with the way he ran," trainer Nick Zito said of War Pass. "There were no excuses. We'll take him to Kentucky. We'll take it one day at a time. If War Pass has a good month, we'll see if we can make it to the Derby."

"I would think we would go on to Kentucky and evaluate from there," horseman Bill Mott said regarding Court Vision.

Giant Moon, who gamely stayed in the hunt along the rail for the entire length of the stretch, checked in another neck adrift in fourth. Anak Nakal (Victory Gallop), Spurrier (Dixieland Band), Roman Emperor (Empire Maker), Texas Wildcatter and Inner Light completed the order of finish, while First Commandment (Deputy Commander) was scratched.

Dispatched as the 8-1 fourth choice, Tale of Ekati rewarded his loyalists with payouts of $19, $6.30 and $3.60 while spearheading the $52.50 exacta and $141 trifecta (8-5-1). War Pass returned $3.70 and $2.60, and Court Vision yielded $2.40 as the nearly 3-1 second choice.

Tale of Ekati more than doubled his bankroll to $769,200 from his 6-3-1-0 line. A smashing debut maiden winner at Belmont Park last July, the exquisitely bred bay finished a troubled second in the Sanford S. (G2) at Saratoga next time out. He flashed brilliant acceleration when slicing through an opening on the rail to capture the Futurity S. (G2), but never enjoyed himself in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), finishing a remote fourth in the Monmouth slop. Tale of Ekati made his three-year-old debut in the March 8 Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds, where he broke poorly and wound up sixth. That disappointing effort put his Derby hopes in jeopardy, and helped his odds float upward in the Wood.

The Kentucky-bred colt was produced by Silence Beauty (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), herself a half-sister to champion Sky Beauty (Blushing Groom [Fr]), a nine-time Grade 1 queen and earner of more than $1.3 million. Tale of Ekati's second dam is multiple Grade 1 heroine Maplejinsky (Nijinsky II), who is a half-sister to 1990 English Horse of the Year Dayjur (Danzig). This is the family of 2005 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) victress Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold), the ill-fated multiple Grade 1 winner Pine Island (Arch) and multiple Grade 2 heroine Boca Grande (A.P. Indy). Tale of Ekati has a pair of half-siblings by Perfect Soul (Ire), a juvenile colt named Ama Soul Man and a 2008 filly.

Tagg revealed that Tale of Ekati will ship to Keeneland on Sunday morning, and the usually guarded horseman sounded a confident note.

"Big Brown and War Pass are both in the Derby -- that might work out well for us," Tagg said, alluding to the prospect of a pace meltdown beneath the Twin Spires.